Alternate
by Ittoki Otoya
Summary: If it meant that Kuroko could live and have a happy life, Aomine was willing to give up everything for it. Even if it meant losing the past, the present and future times that he could have spent with Kuroko or even his life, Aomine was willing to do anything to get it done. Because Kuroko would be able to live a much happier life if it was not with him and a lot of things would not


_**[[ A/N: This was just something that I wanted to try out with alternate timelines happening that was based on one character's decision.**_

_**It has 4 parts to it and I wanted it to be similar to what a Visual Novel is like in a sense, hence why each chapter would indicate which 'Ending' it is. This chapter is actually the 'Main Route' that is the start of what happened for all the other chapters. The other part of the chapter name refers to when you watch a video, since this is the start it has 'PLAY' and 'PAUSE' is since this is the part where the timeline stopped for this one.**_

_**AoKuro is the Main Pairing but there would be KuroMomo for some of the chapters due to the plot. Side Pairings differs according to Aomine's decision so it varies for each chaper.**_

_**Didn't really have the time to really read through it so there might be mistakes present. ]]**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: PLAY &amp; PAUSE – Bad End<strong>

Aomine fidgeted around nervously, glancing at his watch for the umpteen time while his free hand fingered the rings in his pocket. He was actually early for once, in fact he had been at the designated area an hour earlier than the time he asked to meet Kuroko at. The whole time he was feeling really nervous, he even came an hour earlier just to make sure that he arrived before Kuroko.

He knew that if he came at the designated time, Kuroko would have arrived already for sure. Hence why he came earlier, the other factor that he felt even more nervous if he stayed at home and he was not sure if he would make it on time if he did that.

Kuroko should be arriving soon although it was not the time they were supposed to meet yet, with Kuroko's personality, he would usually arrive earlier. How much earlier was something that Aomine had no clue about since he usually arrived late whenever he met with Kuroko. This should be the first time that he actually came earlier than Kuroko and Aomine did not really mind since this was important to him.

No matter what kind of answer he would get, Aomine would not blame him and he did not think that he would mind coming earlier regardless of what the answer was anyway. Because Aomine could actually understand if Kuroko actually rejected him anyway, especially when he recalled how he had treated Kuroko during their last year in Middle School.

"Aomine-kun?" A voice called out to him all out of a sudden, surprising Aomine that he nearly jumped before he he realised who that voice belonged to. He turned around awkwardly, feeling dumb for being surprised when he had already encountered such cases many times before already.

"Tetsu, you're early!" Aomine remarked as he glanced at his watch, there was still a good thirty minutes before their meeting time and Aomine was glad that he came an hour earlier. If not, Kuroko would probably arrive before him and make him even more nervous than he already was. He fingered the rings in his pocket again, willing himself to stay calm and act normal.

Kuroko stared at him amusedly, causing Aomine to fidget awkwardly. "That should be my line when Aomine-kun is usually late." Aomine bit his tongue to resist saying anything about it when it was pretty much the truth. He was hardly on time that sometimes people had to tell him a false time just to ensure that he would show up not too late.

Seeing that Aomine was not going to speak up any time soon, Kuroko spoke up. "So what is it that Aomine-kun wanted to talk to me about that he even came earlier than me?" Amusement could be heard in Kuroko's tone, it was not that obvious but Aomine could tell from years of talking to Kuroko.

Aomine shifted his gaze away from Kuroko, gripping the rings in his pocket tightly. The nervousness returned full force now that the conversation had turned towards the reason why he had called Kuroko out. He took a deep breath and slowly took out the rings in his pocket.

"I…" Aomine started off, stopping when the words that he prepared to say were disappearing from his mind that his mind was a complete blank at the moment. He struggled to recall the exact words that he initially wanted to say but failing.

Aomine sighed, giving up on trying to remember what were the exact phrasing of words that he wanted to say. It seemed like he had to struggle to come up with something that he should say. He could feel Kuroko's gaze on him, which made it even harder for Aomine to face him.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to speak. "I know what I did to you before was harsh… I denied you… rejected your basketball and I closed my eyes when I noticed that you were hurting back then… I was too caught up with my own self to even spare a moment for you. I was letting myself suffer in my own misery even when you tried to offer me a hand and even though I knew I hurt you with my own words, I still thought of my own pain more than yours. I rejected and refused to acknowledge anything about you…from your basketball to you entire self and I even try to find fault with you just because you got a new light…when the one who caused that was me. But even so… I…"

Aomine paused his facial expression looking woeful, slowly reducing his grip on the rings in his pocket as he slowly took them out. "Even so, I still really treasure the times that I get to spend with you. Being able to play basketball with you is the most enjoyable moment for me, even if you're on the opposite side. The fact that I'm able to regain my love for basketball again was because of you. I like hanging out with you too, even if our personalities and hobbies don't match that well when it comes to other matters but still, I really enjoy your company… Since you're the person that's the most important to me. I know I have no right to ask you this when I caused you so much pain before… but I still want you to be with you. I won't hold it against you if you turn me down anyway since it's my own fault that we drifted apart."

He finally managed to make himself turn towards Kuroko as he brought the chain with the dark blue ring towards Kuroko. "Would you accept it?" Aomine muttered nervously, he knew he had not said the most important words yet. He just could not bring himself to say it when he was uncertain about Kuroko's response, it would be awkward if he had said those words to Kuroko and got rejected when it was certain that they would meet each other again in the future.

Kuroko smiled as he took the chain and examined the ring hanging around it. Aomine's face turned red when Kuroko fingered the words engraved on the ring. "I don't know what I'm supposed to accept if Aomine-kun doesn't say what it is exactly. But if you mean just the ring and nothing else, I don't mind accepting it. If that's all, then I'm leaving since that's all Aomine-kun called me out for right?"

Aomine scowled softly. Leave it to Kuroko to make him voice out what he wanted to say exactly. "Tetsu. You know what I mean exactly." Aomine could not help but grumble out loud to let Kuroko know how he felt about Kuroko purposely not acknowledging what he was actually trying to ask him.

"I like you." Aomine whispered softly as he avoided looking at Kuroko. He could hear Kuroko chuckling softly and he resisted the urge to turn his gaze at him. Aomine had always liked seeing Kuroko smiling but he had buried that deep inside of him when he was no longer able to look at that without remembering how he used to love basketball.

"What kind of like?" Kuroko questioned amusedly, not bothering to hide his amusement. He was doing it on purpose when it was not everyday that he could see a flustered Aomine who struggled with his words. It was also a small pay back for the things Aomine made him suffered before although he had never really resented Aomine for that.

Aomine had finally turned around when he heard Kuroko's question. The amusement was really clear in his tone this time. Aomine sighed, he knew he had no way out of it if he did not say it exactly, Kuroko would not give him a reply until he does.

"Fine, Tetsu. I love you, the kind that don't belong to family or friends but as a lover!" Aomine muttered everything quickly, earning him yet another chuckle from Kuroko that Aomine could actually see this time. He knew if he just said the 'I love you' without elaborating, Kuroko would make him say it so Aomine thought it would be better to just do it straight.

Kuroko still looked amused and Aomine could not help but feel more embarrassed as Kuroko started reducing the distance between them. "This doesn't really seem like your style." He mentioned as he took a look at the engraving on the light blue ring that was with Aomine. Of course he understood the reason behind the ring's colours as well as the words engraved them but he wanted to tease Aomine a little more.

"Shut up! That shouldn't be what you should be saying right now right?" Aomine questioned annoyedly when he had already done what Kuroko had wanted and yet he still did not get an answer from him yet. In fact, Kuroko had even teased him about the out of character thing that he did about the rings.

The thought just came to him when he saw those rings when he passed by a shop. It had caught his attention since the colour of the rings were the same as both of their hair colour and on an impulse Aomine had bought them and even had their first names engraved on the rings.

Since it was something that he wanted to give Kuroko when he finally managed to make himself confess, he had engraved the word 'Tetsuya' on the dark blue ring since it felt better if they were wearing rings with the other's colour on them.

Kuroko had smiled at him and Aomine's displeasure had all disappeared when he saw that. He silently thought to himself that Kuroko really was sly when there was no way Aomine could remain angry or unhappy with Kuroko when he sees him smile. It is something that Aomine really likes after all, even if it was something that he had once turned away from. It had pained him when he was unable to see Kuroko smile anymore and instead be the one that caused his to not smile but Aomine had no choice back then when he could not control his own emotions.

"What does Aomine-kun think my answer is? I already mentioned that I'm accepting the ring already right?" Kuroko held out the chain with the ring to Aomine as in to emphasise his point. Aomine had huffed in response to show his displeasure.

Aomine grabbed hold of Kuroko's arm and tugged him towards him till they were just a few centimetres away from each other. "That's not fair, Tetsu. You made me say everything clearly so you'll have to do the same." Aomine was smirking as he waited for Kuroko's reply, it was finally his turn for payback and he would not be letting Kuroko's off that easily.

Kuroko made no attempt to get Aomine's hand away from his or increase the distance between them. In fact, he was staring directly at Aomine's eyes as his smile widened. Instead of giving Aomine a reply, he did something that was out of Aomine's expectations.

It was obvious when Aomine's eyes widened in surprise when Kuroko had suddenly tugged him down and before he could even ask what Kuroko was trying to do, Kuroko had pressed his lips against his. Before even waiting for Aomine to reply, Kuroko had pulled back just as quickly as when he had kissed Aomine. "Shouldn't you help me pull this on?"

Kuroko had placed the chain with the dark blue ring into Aomine's free hand, causing Aomine to grin. Aomine had finally gotten his answer, even if it was something that was not exactly in words but he was alright with it. His lips were still tingling with Kuroko's warmth and Aomine regretted not being able to kiss him back before Kuroko had pulled away.

Gripping the ring tightly with his left hand, Aomine leaned down and placed a quick chaste kiss onto his lips. He pulled back just as quickly as Kuroko did without saying a word as he helped Kuroko to put on the necklace. Aomine behaved normally as if he did not just kiss Kuroko and held out the other necklace in his hand.

Kuroko had taken it without saying a word and Aomine wordlessly leaned down to allow Kuroko to help him put it on. "So… are we going out now?" Aomine questioned softly as he straightened his back, he had wanted a confirmation when Kuroko had not really said anything.

Kuroko was staring at him disbelieving, implying that he could not believe that Aomine had actually asked him that. "You're making me regret my decision." Kuroko answered him nonchalantly as his facial expression returned to his usual one. Kuroko was kidding of course, but there were times in the past where he had wondered why he was unable to give up on Aomine even after what had happened to them.

Back then even when Aomine had hurt him by denying him and his basketball, Kuroko was still unable to make himself pull away from him. Even when they were studying in different High Schools and Aomine no longer was the one he knew, Kuroko was still unable to give up on him. The amount of times that Aomine had hurt him were quite a bit but despite it being so, Aomine is still someone that is extremely important to him.

The one that changed his world and gave him his current present was Aomine after all. If Aomine had never met him in that gymnasium he would not be where he is right now. Kuroko would have given up on basketball and he would not have met Akashi who gave him a hint about his current basketball playing skill.

That was why Aomine had always held an important place in his heart and the smiles that Aomine always showed him in the past were something that helped to make his days better. Especially since he was not particular close to anyone in his class and Aomine was the first friend that Kuroko had actually gotten in Teiko. Being around Aomine was enjoyable that Kuroko had actually started smiling more. There were still little times that he smiled but it was alredy a lot for him. It was all so easy to for them to pass the line for friedship along the way, especially with how often they hanged out with each other more than anyone else.

Kuroko had no idea what his feelings towards Aomine were and he had no means to find out too when they drifted apart so abruptly. It was after they got defeated by Touou that Kuroko finally realised how important Aomine is to him. It hurt when Aomine had bluntly rejected his basketball and refused to listen to him by saying that he could only speak after he had won.

One of the other small reason why Kuroko had wanted Aomine to teach him how to shoot besides the point that he was the best person to coach him, he wanted to spend Christmas with him. Especially when he was denied of that the year before. Kuroko just wanted to be able to spend more time with Aomine again, hence he wanted to increase the opportunities when they were no longer in the same school.

It was a surprise that that Aomine had actually confessed to him when Kuroko was prepared to keep his feelings buried to keep their friendship when he did not want to lose Aomine in his life again. Hence he was actually really happy to be able to be with Aomine and have his feelings returned.

"You don't mean that." Aomine stated confidently as he placed an arm around Kuroko's shoulder, pulling him close with a triumphant smirk. Aomine was very certain about it when Kuroko had always agreed to meet him when he asked and Kuroko had even asked him pout just to make sure Aomine studies for his exams and helps him with it.

"After all, you can't find a guy like me who suits you best—" Kuroko had elbowed him in the ribs, causing Aomine to pause in his sentence. Aomine was still smirking though and he tightened his hold on Kuroko which he assumed Kuroko did not mind when he did not do anything to stop him.

Kuroko leaned back towards Aomine as he spoke. "So what else does Aomine-kun have in mind?" He waited patiently for Aomine to speak although he already knew what kind of answer Aomine would give him. This is Aomine after all, what else would he suggest?

"Basketball of course." Aomine stated just like what Kuroko expected him to say.

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><p>"Are you really sure about it, Tetsu?" Aomine questioned, Kuroko had changed his choice of schools for his sake and Aomine wanted him to be sure when it affects his future. Normally he would be glad that Kuroko would actually change his choice of school just to be near him but Aomine did not think it would be appropriate.<p>

He had matured that much at least to know what would be alright and what would not be. If Kuroko's future ended up bad because of him, what should he do? Their relationship was not something that could be too open with and Aomine still had no idea what Kuroko's parents would do if they found out about their relationship.

But he was still happy that Kuroko was trying to help keep their relationship going, Aomine had at least thought it through enough that he started thinking about what kind of career he should pursue. Many people looked at him doubtfully when he mentioned what he wanted to do but Aomine was still going to carry on with it because it was what he had decided.

Kuroko had supported him with it too and Aomine was grateful for that. Kuroko's support helped him a lot mentally when it gave him faith that he would be able to pull it through. A part of Aomine had doubted himself and Kuroko's support and words of assurance gave him strength to push those thoughts aside.

"I'm sure." Kuroko spoke up, tearing Aomine away from his thoughts. Kuroko's tone was filled with certainty and his eyes reflected no regret. Aomine smiled in response, holding onto Kuroko's hand tightly.

"I guess we should start finding an apartment soon…" Aomine commented. Now that they had confirmed that they would be attending which ever school they decided on, they would need to start considering where they would rent an apartment to live.

They both of them had came to a decision to find an apartment to live together when they realised that they would not be attending the same school. Especially when Aomine's choice of career was something he had to take at a specific school.

"Who would have thought Aomine-kun would want to be a cop though." Kuroko remarked with a teasing smile. He really did not expect that Aomine would choose such a career though. It was a surprise when he first heard about it from Aomine when they were discussing what they were going to do once they graduate from High School.

Aomine frowned, resting his head on top of Kuroko's head. "Not you too, Tetsu. Is it that hard to believe that I would want to be a cop though?" How many times had he heard such a remark already? Aomine had lost count when pretty much everyone said such a thing when they heard what he wanted to do.

Even his own parents had seemed surprised when he announced it to them. Aomine felt that it was something that should not be such a surprise that he would want to do such a thing but everyone just proved him otherwise.

Kuroko leaned against Aomine as he replied Aomine's question. "I'm pretty sure everyone thought that Aomine-kun would want to be a Pro basketball player when Aomine-kun is a basketball idiot after all." His tone sounded playful as he mentioned the words that Aomine and him both used to use as a phrase to describe Aomine back when they were in Middle School.

"Hey! I've changed you know." Aomine retorted unhappily. He was certainly no longer a basketball idiot who thought about basketball only. He had started thinking about his life and he was even more serious in class now.

Aomine shifted his head downwards as he spoke into Kuroko's hair softly. "You should know that. I stopped being the me that never thinks about anything ever since we started dating. I thought about our future too you know. I can't let you be the only one tries to keep the relationship going this time. I'm never going to let what happened before to happen again. This time I want to be able to hold onto your hand all the way and remain in your life."

Because it was his fault that they had started drifting apart before. If Aomine had not acted how he did before, they would have already started dating a long time ago and Aomine would not have stopped being part of Kuroko's life for a while and that they would not be able to see each other everyday due to the fact that they were in different schools.

Hence it was why they decided to live together this time so that they would be able to see each other everyday. Even Aomine knew that they would be busy with studies to meet up too much if they did not live together and attend different schools. This was their solution to solve that, they would be a part of each other's life this way.

"I know." Kuroko answered just as softly. Because it was the truth that Aomine had started being more serious, an example would be how Aomine had questioned his decision earlier. The old Aomine would have just accepted it and Kuroko was glad that Aomine had thought about their future together and how his choice might affect his future.

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><p>"It's not fair, Aomine-cchi! Why do you get to stay with Kuroko-cchi?" Kise whined the instance he had stepped into Aomine's and Kuroko's apartment. It was just not fair to Kise when he had wanted to stay with Kuroko too but the both of them had turned him down.<p>

"…It should be obvious even with your level of intelligence." Midorima remarked as he lightly pushed Kise aside to enter the apartment. Midorima had frowned displeadly the moment he noticed how Kise had randomly threw his shoes around and straightened it for him. It might not be his own house but Midorima believes that it was basic manners to not randomly throw his things around in someone else's house.

Behind him, Akashi had trailed in much to Kise's surprise who did not hear that Akashi would be attending Aomine's and Kuroko's housewarming party. "Like what Shintaro said, don't ask questions that you already know the answer to, Ryota." The rest of them had long ago guessed about Aomine's and Kuroko's feelings back in Middle School when the both of them behaved in a completely different manner when it was just the both of them.

Kise pouted as he clung onto Midorima. "I didn't know that you would be coming too, Akashi-cchi." Kise was attempting to change the subject when it just sounded like they were all bullying him as usual. Midorima tried to move away from Kise in annoyance and failing to do so when Kise clung even tighter to him.

"Before I answer your question, could you please let go of Shintaro?" Kise had instantly released his grip on Midorima the moment he had heard that. Akashi's tone might not show it but Kise knew that Akashi was irritated and he knew that it would not be good if he did not release Midorima immediately.

Akashi seemed to be in a better mood after Kise had finally stopped clinging to Midorima and said person had instantly moved away from Kise to avoid being clung to again. With that, Akashi had finally answered Kise's question after Midorima had moved away. "I wasn't sure if I were able to attend till a few days ago."

"Li—" Aomine was stopped when Kuroko elbowed his ribs the same time Akashi had sent him a dangerous glare that seemed to say he would make him pay if he continued his sentence. The words that Aomine wanted to say but was not able to was actually that Akashi had no idea Midorima would be attending till a few days ago and hence the change in his decision.

"Akashi-kun was only to be certain that he had time in his schedule to stop by today a few days ago." Kuroko answered on Akashi's behalf and Aomine bit his tongue to keep himself from blurting out the true reason why Akashi actually attended. After all, it was a lie that Akashi had time today when he had forcefully changed his schedule so that he could come today.

Kuroko swiftly moved away when he saw Kise approaching him. "In response to your question earlier, of course I won't let you stay with Tetsu. You would be bothering him every second you can and I doubt Tetsu and I would be able to resist not killing you if we're with you every single day." Aomine had pulled Kuroko towards him as he directed a glare towards Kise right after he finished speaking.

"So mean!" Kise answered as he pouted yet again. This time he was not able to find someone to cling to when the other four had moved away from him. In fact, he was left there alone when the four of them had already walked off without a word.

"Akashi…" Midorima trailed off as he wondered what should he say to him exactly. Especially since this situation was kind of awkward and he had a feeling that neither of them would actually come up with anything to change the situation. It was more like they could not actually, so it was pointless to even say anything about.

"You already know the answer, Shintaro." Akashi answered him softly to ensure that only Midorima would be able to hear him. No matter what the both of them want, they had responsibilities to meet, the times when they had their freedom are gone already along with how they could still be naïve and keep those feelings they have towards each other.

Midorima smiled with mixed emotions as he gave a response. "I know." He gripped Akashi's hand tightly for a few seconds before releasing it. This was probably the last time the both of them would be meeting like this before they bury their feelings for good.

It would be hard and the both of them were probably not be able to completely bury it away and Midorima especially did not think that he could kill his off. Not when despite how Akashi had treated him and what Akashi said about him during High School, Midorima still held those feelings.

Aomine glanced at Midorima and Akashi with a worried expression. He knew it was none of his business but the expression that the both of them had reflected how much pain they must be in and as much as an asshole people like to say about him, Aomine had a heart to show concern to his friends too. "Tetsu…"

"I know, Aomine-kun. But it isn't something that we can butt in." Kuroko answered with a sad expression. Because if the ones involved were already unable to do anything, how would they the outsiders be able to do something about it.

The both of them nodded to each other and Kuroko walked towards Akashi and Midorima. "If the both of you want to talk in private, you can let me or Aomine-kun know." Kuroko dangled his room key to let them know what he meant. That was the only thing that Aomine and him could do for them right now.

The other guests started turning up one by one and soon Kuroko and Aomine were too busy attending to them to think too much about Akashi's and Midorima's problem. "Murasakibara-cchi!" They heard Kise called out when Murasakibara entered with Himuro beside him. Another shout showed that Momoi had arrived too.

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><p>"Remind me why do I have to cook when I'm the guest?" Kagami grumbled as he found himself pushed back into the kitchen again when the food were starting to run low. He was conned into agreeing to cook for their housewarming party and when he questioned why they did not just order food, Kuroko's response was that Kagami was their friend and his food tasted just as good as the ones they could order and Aomine answered that getting him to cook was cheaper and that he still owed him a favour for the pair of shoes he gave to him before.<p>

Aomine shrugged as he helped brought over some of the groceries over to Kagami. "Didn't we already established that in the afternoon?" They certainly already had such a conversation earlier on when Kagami first stepped into their house. Aomine knew that despite what Kagami might say, he would still cook for them anyway.

Kagami continued grumbling to the both of them as he took the ingredients that he needed from Kuroko. As much as he did not mind cooking, he had wanted to enjoy himself for once but he found himself cooking anyway. "Wait… Don't tell me the reason why the both of you asked me to rent the place beside your apartment is for this!" Kagami stared accusingly at both Kuroko and Aomine who were both smirking.

"I guess he found us out, Tetsu." Aomine answered with a big smirk as he swung his arm around Kuroko casually. Kagami was staring at them disbelievingly, finding it hard to believe that he actually did not think of them when it was suspicious how the both of them tried to hard to convince him to move beside them.

"I can't believe the both of you! You two knew that I was supposed to live with Tatsuya but because of the both of you, I had to turn him down. It was lucky that Murasakibara could replace me, otherwise what was I going to do about Tatsuya?" Kagami shouted, earning the attention of a few people such as Kise to peep in the kitchen. Kise being the person he was immediately started pressing Kagami the reason why he was shouting, annoying Kagami further.

After struggling for a while, Kagami finally managed to detach himself away from Kise. "The both of them conned me into staying beside them just to get me to cook for them." Kagami stated unhappily, he still could not believe that Kuroko and Aomine had actually tricked him just so they could have him cook for them.

"WHAT?! Kagami-cchi, you're staying next to Kuroko-cchi and Aomine-cchi? Let me stay with you! The apartment still have rooms left doesn't it?" Kise had once again clung to Kagami tightly again as he begged Kagami to let him stay with him.

Kagami regretted his decision of speaking the truth the moment he heard Kise's words. Now he was the one that Kise would bug when Kuroko and Aomine had already flatly rejected Kise. His anger was starting to build up when he was starting to get irritated more and more.

Himuro appeared right at the time that Kagami was about to snap. "Do you need help, Taiga?" Kagami glanced gratefully at Himuro and nodded his head. There was finally someone who was actually of help instead of a hindrance and Kagami just wanted to get all the cooking over and done with.

"Everyone except for Tatsuya, out!" Kagami pointed to the door and glared at them to leave. He had enough already, they wanted him to cook and yet they were distracting him from his task and they were not helping him either. Kise had wanted to argue but Aomine had already kicked him out of the kitchen literally before leaving the kitchen with the rest.

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><p>"Hey…Tetsu…" Aomine called out to Kuroko who was cleaning up with him after they had sent the others off. Kuroko shifted his attention away from the litter he was cleaning up and towards Aomine instead. A knowing look appeared on his face as he understood what Aomine wanted to say from the expression on Aomine's face.<p>

Kuroko smiled at Aomine as he spoke. "I'm still certain of my decision." Aomine had asked him multiple times already and Kuroko had reaffirmed that his decision was still the same each time. He tiptoed up to place a chaste kiss on Aomine's lips, feeling Aomine's lips twist up into a smile. This was how he gave Aomine his confirmation each time.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for the meal, Kagami-kun!" Kuroko thanked Kagami politely as he stacked up the plates. They had been dining at Kagami's place for a while already, Kagami would usually be the one cooking while the rest of them would do the dishes or buy the groceries in exchange.<p>

Kagami had given up after a week when Kuroko and Aomine would knock on the door till he opens it and it was not that much trouble to cook for another two more people anyway. Especially when the both of them would buy the groceries and do the dishes in exchange for the food. Kagami had ended up staying with Kise after the blond had bugged him every chance he had.

Kise split the chores and rent with him so Kagami did not mind that much when he had spare rooms anyway. Some of the others would drop by to spend the night once in a while since there were enough rooms with Kuroko and Aomine staying right beside.

"I still can't believe Aomine-cchi is actually studying." Kise commented as he helped cleared the rest of the dishes left on the dining table. It was a surprise to see that Aomine would bring along his book to study when he drops by sometimes when Kise would never believe such a thing if he had not seen it with his own eyes.

To be exact, he still could not believe it even after seeing it more than once. Kise would believe it if it was Kuroko doing it but when Aomine did it as well, it just felt plan weird. No one would actually associate Aomine with the word 'studying' after all.

"Hey!" Aomine yelled as he smacked Kise with the book he was reading. How many times had Kise said such a thing already? Aomine never kept count but it was starting to get annoying when Kise would always show a bewildered look when he saw Aomine studying or doing his homework.

"You must really want to be a policeman." Kagami commented as he sat down beside Aomine. Today was Kise's and Kuroko's turn to do the dishes and Aomine was obviously using the free time he had to study as he wait for Kuroko to finish washing the dishes.

Unlike Kise, Kagami had already accepted that Aomine was starting to be serious and to him, the only possible reason was that Aomine must really want to be a policeman. Kagami had no intention to tease or make fun of someone working hard, why would he do that when Aomine was just putting in effort into something that he wants

"Yeah. It's something that I'm planning to do in the future." Aomine answered as he looked up from his book. It was something that Aomine had put in thoughts to come up with a job that he would follow through to the end. He wanted Kuroko and him to be together in the future and for that, he would have to have a permanent job.

Kagami nodded his head in understanding. "You want to create a definite future with Kuroko right?" The only reason that Kagami could think of was simply Kuroko when the number of things that would make Aomine serious were few. After how the both of them had drifted off in the past, Aomine and Kuroko were putting in effort to ensure that they would end up together.

"What? Aomine-cchi is actually thinking about the future?" Kise screamed from the kitchen, causing Aomine to scowl in response. Kagami and Aomine heard a small yelp coming from the kitchen and both assumed that Kuroko must have done something.

"Kise, if you don't shut up soon, I hold no responsibility if you end up sprouting a black eye for your next model shoot." Aomine threatened half-heartedly, he knew that Kise would shut up if he said that since Kise could not possibly risk ruining his photoshoot.

It was kind of a surprise for some of them when Kise mentioned that he wanted to become a full-time model when they thought it was just something that he did for fun. But Kise ended up doing it as a permanent job after graduating from High School.

Even though Kise had bugged Kagami till he relented to let him stay with him, Kise was not really around most of the time. Although Kise is already irritating enough whenever he is around so Aomine could not really say that he actually miss Kise at all.

Aomine could see Kuroko smiling slightly when he came out of the kitchen and he knew the reason too. Because the both of them were looking at the same scene, he could understand the reason behind Kuroko's smile. "So the both of you are finally together huh?" Aomine asked teasingly despite knowing the answer already.

Kise blushed bright red while Kagami had a look of surprise. "Kise-kun and Kagami-kun shouldn't look like that when it's actually pretty obvious." Kuroko pointed out as he glanced at the matching wristlet they were both wearing.

"I told you it would be too obvious!" Kagami muttered to Kise who whined in response that he just wanted to have something matching with Kagami since he had always wanted to do such a thing.

Aomine had snorted before speaking up. "That's not the only reason though and you guys said that Tetsu and me were too obvious, the same could be said for the both of you too!" He had noticed the change in Kise's and Kagami's relationship the same day that Kuroko did.

It was pretty obvious how the atmosphere between the both of them seemed different when Aomine saw them that day. Their tone towards each other had sounded pretty affectionate too along with how they looked at each other.

"That's enough teasing, Daiki-kun. You still have studying to do right?" Kuroko spoke up knowing full well that it would never end if he allowed Aomine to end it at his own pace and he still had stuff to do too. Well actually Aomine did not really have to study when it was his own self-study.

Aomine had stood up, informing Kise and Kagami that he would tease them some other time.

* * *

><p>Time passed quickly for both Aomine and Kuroko. In the blink of an eye, the both of them had already started working for three months already. They were both able to find jobs near their home which were good as they did not want to find a new apartment when they were already used to this one and it had a lot of memories in the house as well.<p>

Aomine had managed to get a job as a police officer after graduating and Kuroko had managed to do well in his internship at one of the kindergartens near their home that they had offered him a job there straight after he graduated.

Much to Aomine's dismay, Kagami had started working at a fire station near his police station, so the both of them see each other rather often. Kise is still working as a model and even took up acting recently. Both Akashi and Midorima were working at their family business, Murasakibara's job was the one that stunned everyone the most, he had actually gotten a job as a pâtissier.

Aomine glanced at the invitation card before passing it over to Kuroko. "They're both idiots." Aomine commented as he waited for Kuroko to finish reading the invitation card. He knew that both of the grooms were going to be getting married to people that their families suggested but one of them was just plain dumb to him.

"It's out of their control though." Kuroko answered sadly as he placed the card on the table. The fact that their wedding were together was probably something that the both of them compromised on for the fact that neither of them were able to marry the person that they love.

"I know, but still there were other candidates weren't there? But yet, the one that Akashi chose is Midorima's younger sister and the fact that he's marrying her must mean that Midorima agreed to it. That makes them both idiots." Aomine felt that it was just plain dumb to involve Midorima's sister in their relationship and that it would be better off if Akashi married some other women.

Kuroko had not said anything in response when he had to agree with Aomine. It was not that he could not understand why Akashi and Midorima had ended up in this situation but it was just not really feasible to him. "It's not something that we can interfere with." As much as both Aomine and him wanted to help, they had no right to.

"I know." Aomine murmured, he knew that well and hence why he was feeling rather useless that he knew about their problem and was not able to help. He usually would not care about the others' problems that much but it was something he understood with his relationship with Kuroko, it was harder not to care.

"Hey! Did the both of you received Akashi-cchi's and Midorima-cchi's wedding invitations?" Kise questioned when the both of them went over next door for dinner. Aomine simply stared at him with a look that reflected his current thoughts that Kise was an idiot.

"Of course we did." Aomine replied in a matter-of-fact tone, why would the both of them not receive the invitation card anyway when they were acquaintances of both Midorima and Akashi? In fact, they knew them before Kise and Kagami too.

Kise did not seem to pick up on the tone that Aomine used and replied in his usual tone of voice. "But isn't it a surprise that Akashi-cchi is marrying Midorima-cchi's sister? I didn't know that he liked her!" Kise was chattering in a rather hyper voice which both Kuroko and Aomine did not think that it was appropriate for the things that he was

"His sister? The person that Akashi likes is—" Aomine was silenced when Kuroko kicked him lightly as a warning to make him stop talking and Aomine felt a wave of Déjà vu when he remembered what happened during their housewarming party when Kuroko had stopped him from speaking about their relationship back then as well.

Kise seemed confused as he stared at Aomine curiously. "Huh? What do you mean, Aomine-cchi?" Kagami seemed to have picked up on what they were talking about and had called Kise to help him with something to get him away from the conversation.

Kuroko had glared at Aomine warningly and Aomine muttered a soft apology in response and that he would watch his mouth for sure this time. "I knew that Kise was slow but I didn't think he was that slow that he still haven't picked up on their relationship even now. I mean, even Kagami that idiot understood what was going on already."

"That's Kise-kun for you." Kuroko answered as he headed towards the kitchen. It was his turn to help with the cooking today.

* * *

><p>"You're both idiots." Aomine stated the moment he spotted Akashi and Midorima. There were many people staring at Aomine in confusion while Akashi and Midorima both smiled in response. Murasakibara had added in his own comment on how he smart Akashi and Midorima were in other matters and yet so stupid in this situation.<p>

Akashi chuckled as he guided them into the waiting room for the grooms. "You think so?" Midorima had asked in response to their words once they were alone with just the five of them. It was not something that they could talk about in front of the other guests or their families after all.

"Obviously." Aomine answered instantly when he still did not agree with how the both of them chose to handle the problem. Sure he knew that it was not like they could have gotten together but at least they could handle it better by not getting Midorima's sister involved.

Neither Akashi nor Midorima gave a reply. "Does she know?" Kuroko asked, knowing that they should know who he was talking about. That was one of the things that Kuroko wanted to know before he gave any comment of his own about their decision. Midorima nodded his head wordlessly with an agonized expression as a reply while Akashi had a deadpan expression on his face.

"I really pity her, you're a cruel brother." Aomine voiced with an expression that reflected what he felt towards them. Midorima had flinched in response and Akashi had finally showed signs of emotions on his face after so long.

Akashi had a wry smile on his face as he opened his mouth to speak after remaining silent for so long. "It's better this way isn't it? Shintaro can trust that I'll take good care of his sister and it's easier for me to marry someone who looks similar to Shintaro. Shintaro can accept it better too that we need to put a stop to this for real when it's his sister that I'm marrying and I won't do anything that would make Shintaro hurt if I hurt his sister in any way. It would keep us both in check."

Aomine bit his lips to stop himself from saying what he wanted to say. Both Akashi's and Midorima's faces already showed how much pain they were already suffering from this decision. He could understand why the both of them decided on this but he still thought that it was wrong.

From Aomine's point of view, it simply seemed to be causing them more pain than to have Akashi marry some other women. He resisted the urge to shout out that they were wrong and by doing this, it would make them feel worst when Akashi sees Midorima's image in his sister and cruel too when he was basically treating her as a substitute for not being able to be together with Midorima.

It might seem to be better for Midorima but in the long run, Aomine was certain that it would cause Midorima more pain when he is unable to completely kill his feelings Akashi and losing the person you love to your own sister must be a suffering that Aomine would not understand and the fact that his sister knew about it would make Midorima's pain worst too. From the look in Kuroko's eyes, Aomine could tell that Kuroko was thinking the same thing.

"I'm surprised that Mido-chin's sister would accept the marriage when she knows about Aka-chin's and Mido-chin's feelings." Murasakibara was the one who spoke up, surprising Aomine when he thought that Murasakibara would not say anything about it.

Akashi was the one to answer again while Midorima appeared to be even more uncomfortable. "She said she didn't mind if it's me." Akashi responded in a low voice, his tone not reflecting what he was thinking along with his passive expression. But from the look in his eye, the rest of them knew that it was the last thing they could get an answer from him about.

"Congratulations anyway." Aomine uttered in his usual tone of voice after managing to bury all the other words and questions that he wanted to speak. He would not be able to greet them while meaning it for sure or a more cheerful tone of voice and judging from what Kuroko and Murasakibara sounded like, the both of them were the same.

Both Akashi and Midorima thanked them anyway with a bleak expression, showing how hopeless they were actually feeling. The three of them excused themselves after that, knowing that it was the last chance the both of them could actually talked openly in private with their true feelings.

Murasakibara separated from them saying that he had to check on the wedding cakes since he was the one who baked them and Aomine and Kuroko were left alone again before Kise appeared and shifted their chain of thoughts away.

Aomine caught sight of the wistful expression the both grooms had their faces before they disappeared a second later. It was most likely the last chance they would express their true feelings in front of each other and Aomine was beginning to feel bad for everything that he said earlier. The both of them must have already been pained enough without him saying anything.

"I think they're both grateful to you though, Daiki-kun." Kuroko murmured softly so that Aomine would be the only one who could hear him. Kuroko smiled at the quizzical expression that Aomine had on his face. It was just like Aomine to not realise the full impact of his words.

Kuroko shifted his attention back to the grooms and the brides who were now putting on their rings. "Thanks to you, the both could harden their resolve to continue this. They were wavering before you came along and reminded them that it's no longer something that's between the both of them when they got Midorima-kun's sister involved and that they should pull through it to the end."

Aomine gave a brittle laugh and whispered his answer. "That might be so." He knew that neither of the two would want him to look at them with pity or sympathy so he had to keep those to himself and look at them as normal grooms. Just like how the two of them were going to bury their feelings, Aomine was going to keep the truth of their relationship buried deep inside with the rest of them who knew the truth.

* * *

><p>It was another three years later that Aomine's world crumbled away.<p>

During the three years, there were things that remained the same and some things that changed. Aomine had managed to gain an increase in his rank and Kuroko was given a permanent job at the kindergarten near their home.

Kagami and Kise were the same as usual so there was nothing much to speak about. Momoi had somehow ended up with Nijimura much to everyone's surprise. Apparently they had met when she was transferred over to her company's branch in another area and they began a relationship.

There was not much of a change for Akashi when he is still working in his father's company and the only change was that he is a father now. The same for Midorima as well, with the only difference being that his wife had recently passed away due to an illness.

Murasakibara is currently with Himuro if Aomine did not remember wrongly when his work load had been increasing that he had started paying lesser attention to the others.

"Yeah I'm on my way there, Tetsu. It's going to take me another five minutes or so." Aomine walked briskly, trying to reach the meeting place he arranged to meet Kuroko as soon as possible. It had been a while since he actually got to leave the station on time for once when his colleagues and him were trying to track down the armed robbers that robbed the bank three days ago.

He finally found some time to actually eat a meal with Kuroko after making sure he finished his work. There was finally a switch in teams so Aomine finally had a break from seeking down on those robbers after so long. At least that was what he thought.

Aomine had only just met up with Kuroko before Kuroko had accidentally collided with one of the guys that were in front of them. That was when the tragedy took place and Aomine lost the normality in his life and changed his whole life, both his present and future.

After days of looking at the photos during work, Aomine managed to recognise those people almost instantly. "Tetsu, be careful those people are the robbers that robbed the bank three days ago." Aomine muttered to Kuroko, but it was not as quiet as he thought it was when one of them managed to overhear him.

"Wait…Aren't you one of those damn cops that have been snooping around asking about us?" One of the males had said after scrutinising Aomine for a few seconds, causing Aomine to flinch in response. This was bad since he did not have his gun with him when it was after hours for him and not to mention that they were armed unlike him.

It was just his luck to end up meeting them when he was finally on a break with Kuroko after failing to locate them during his job before. The irony was pretty bad when it appeared in such a situation and he glanced worriedly at Kuroko. It might be alright for Kuroko when he could use misdirection but Aomine still did not want to risk Kuroko's life.

"I'm not sure what you mean. Your faces were all over the news, just because I recognised you guys doesn't mean that I'm a cop." Aomine bluffed, hoping that they could get out of the situation by feigning innocence. All the possible scenarios were bad ones if things continued the way they were right now, especially when they know that he is a cop.

One of the males had narrowed their eyes and took a step forward. "Don't try to lie to us. You fit the description of one of the cops that our friends told us about. There aren't that many tanned males with dark blue hair in Japan so what do you think are the odds of us meeting someone else?" The guy had questioned with a sneer, his facial expression showing that he did not buy what Aomine said earlier.

"Tetsu, use the time that I'm going to buy to escape." Aomine whispered softly to Kuroko, judging from how all the robbers had their attention on him and it did not seem like they remembered the existence of Kuroko.

Kuroko had directed a look that showed how he was not going to do what Aomine said just like what Aomine expected when Kuroko is just stubborn like that. Aomine shifted his attention away from Kuroko, it would not be good if they noticed where he was looking and remembering that Aomine was not the only person there.

"Well, maybe there is? What makes you so sure that I'm a cop when you have no proof?" Aomine questioned with a neutral tone. He knew that if he sounded too desperate or angry, the others would definitely not believe him. Muttering softly to Kuroko that it would be better for one of them to escape than the both of them being stuck here and this was the last chance that Kuroko could leave.

It would be impossible for Aomine to leave when all their attention were on him so the only one who could escape would be Kuroko. Kuroko finally agreed to leave when Aomine mentioned that Kuroko could escape and get some help over.

Aomine smiled at Kuroko's retreating back before turning his attention back towards the robbers. "Just like you said, the only proof that would show that I'm a cop would be my pass. But I don't have one." Before Kuroko had left, one of the robbers had asked Aomine to empty his pockets to show whether or not he had a police pass to him.

That was something that Aomine had long expected them to do when they mentioned that he was a cop, hence he had passed his police pass over to Kuroko long before things started to get worst. His cellphone ended up getting confiscated by them but the current situation was still alright. Hopefully, this would be enough to let him go. "I promise I won't tell anyone that I saw you guys." Well, it was not really a promise that he could keep but it was not like they would know that.

"Crap." Aomine uttered to himself in panic. It looked like things was not going according to what he hoped and this was the worst case scenario from what he could see right now. He gave a brittle smile when he thought that at least Kuroko had gotten away.

Maybe it was the best he thought silently to himself. This way Kuroko would be able to be free from him and pursue a future without him when in order to be together with him, Kuroko had given and lost a lot of other things that Aomine still felt guilty for.

It was not much of a surprise when one of the robbers finally spoke up to him after they were discussing with each other in hush whispers earlier. "Whether you're a cop or not doesn't matter. We're not letting you get away and risk blowing our cover."

"Isn't this going to blow your cover even more?" Aomine questioned as he stared at the gun that one of the robbers took out. Technically, a gun shot would attract attention for sure so how would it help them in any way? He gritted his teeth as he tried to think of a plan, Kuroko had gone off to find help so he just had to last till then.

The robber with the gun smirked as he readied the gun. "We can get away right after we're done with getting rid of you. No one would know that the culprits are the ones who robbed the bank if there are no eye-witnesses. You could just be caught up with a gun fight or a conflict. No one would know what happens exactly when you're dead and none of us would spill a word about it."

"What if you can't get away?" Aomine questioned as he took a step back, they would not shoot him in warning when it might risk catching other people's attention. He wondered why he even tried to move when it was apparent that he would just end up dead if he tried to run anyway.

"Don't move or I'll shoot you right now." The man's voice boomed and Aomine snorted. Like whether he moved now or not matters when the overall outcome would have him dying by their hands anyway. The only difference was just when he would die, Aomine doubted that Kuroko would be able to get help back in time and he was unable to think of any plans.

At the very least he would not drag Kuroko down with him. "Like it makes a big difference." He commented sarcastically when he knew that they were just prolonging this right now just to watch his reaction and make him fear for his life and maybe even to beg them to spare him. Aomine would not do that when he doubted that they would let him off even if he tried to anyway.

"Any last words? Not that anyone besides us would get to hear them anyway." One of them spoke with a humorous tone, making it clear to him that they were just asking for the sake of asking. Aomine scowled, to think that his life would end with such people and the last time that he got to see would be their faces.

Since Aomine did not answer them at all, they must have assumed that he was not going to say anything when the guy had his gun raised again. Aomine did not move at all even when the gun was pointed at him when it was already obvious that it would be pointless and that he would end up getting shot anyway.

He had his eyes closed as he waited for the shot to come with a conflicted smile. Part of him wanted to live and the other part thought that it might be better this way that Kuroko could make up with his parents now that he was gone.

"W-What—?" Aomine exclaimed as he opened his eyes, he heard the gun shot but there was no pain, meaning that he was not the one that was shot. His eyes widened when he realised who the robbers shot and he anxiously reached out for him.

"Oi Tetsu, don't you dare die on me!" Aomine shouted loudly as he grabbed hold of Kuroko's body tightly in his arms. Kuroko was bleeding profusely and his face seemed even paler than it usually was. The robbers seemed to be in shock and Aomine was not certain what they were talking about when he had completely blocked them out.

Aomine glanced at Kuroko's face, relieved to see that he was still conscious when he finally opened his eyes. "You idiot. Why did you cover for me?" Aomine chided him, telling him how stupid he was to jump up and take the bullet that was meant for him.

"My body moved on it's own." Kuroko spoke softly to him as the robbers started fleeing. Aomine had finally snapped out of it enough to realise there it was just the both of them left. "That's still stupid." Aomine did not say it, but he was certain that he would have done the same thing too if he was in Kuroko's shoe.

"You managed to get help right?" Aomine asked worriedly as he watched the blood that continued to flow from Kuroko's wound. If Kuroko managed to get help, then there would be hope that Kuroko would survive. Aomine waited for Kuroko's answer hopefully, hoping that it would be a yes.

Kuroko had nodded his head, his breathing had gotten harder and he had started panting. "I knew that if I waited for them to arrive it would be too late so I came back first." Kuroko explained to him and Aomine hushed him before Kuroko could say anything else. It was obvious that Kuroko was struggling to speak and Aomine did not want him to waste his strength unnecessary.

"Idiot. Don't speak. I would rather if you waited for them though…That way you wouldn't have taken that bullet for me." Aomine glanced around but there was nothing at all and it was just plain silence except for the both of them. At this rate Kuroko would bled to death before help came and Aomine glimpsed at Kuroko's face before making his decision.

Aomine looked away from Kuroko's pale face and gently placed him on the ground before he stood up. But a hand grasped onto his arm before he could fully stand and he turned to look at Kuroko. "Tetsu?" Aomine questioned puzzled as Kuroko had yet to release his grip on his arm.

"Don't go…" Kuroko managed to cough out with a struggle. Bending his knees, Aomine gently pushed aside Kuroko's hand. Despite Kuroko's voice being a lot softer than usual, he was able to tell the desperation in Kuroko's voice. It was even more evident with how Kuroko's eyes were focused on him entirely,

Smiling gently, Aomine grasped Kuroko's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Don't worry, I won't be gone for long. I'm just going to call for help, the hospital isn't too far off now isn't it?" Aomine did not have his cellphone with him and he thought that it would waste time if he tried calling them with Kuroko's cellphone.

It would be a lot faster if he simply went over there to call them over to bring Kuroko there… Aomine ended up pausing when he realised that in his panic he had actually overlooked the more feasible way he could have gotten Kuroko over to the hospital. "Wait, I'm going to bring you over to the hospital now."

He was stopped before he could do anything yet again. "There's no point, Daiki-kun. I can tell that I can't make it till then." Kuroko said with a sad smile. He could tell that he had not much time left and rather than to waste it on trying to get help, Kuroko would rather spend as much time as he could with Aomine instead.

But that did not seem like it was something that Aomine was going to accept. "Don't say that. You can't give up, Tetsu!" Aomine chided him as he gripped tightly onto Kuroko's hand. His hand was trembling as he held Kuroko's hand close, Aomine refused to accept that Kuroko was going to die any time soon.

Kuroko gripped Aomine's hand with all his remaining strength. There was no doubt that his life was going to fade completely and the remaining time that he had left was going to run out already. Kuroko had to say all the things that he had to say before he dies. Otherwise he would pass on with regrets. "Daiki-kun, I don't regret choosing to spend my life with you or taking this bullet for you either. I'm really glad to have been able to meet you and spend my life with you. Because I love you that's why you have to live on and I don't want you to be saddened by my death. I want you to live on even if I'm not there in your life anymore. One day maybe you could find someone else who could make you happy too and start a new life. It's not your fault either, the one who accidentally collided with them was me, so the blame is but my own. I'm glad that you didn't have to die because of me. I really do love you, Daiki-kun don't forget that and I'll always be watching you even after I die and cheering you on."

"What do you mean by your death? You're not going to die, Tetsu. This isn't funny and who wants to find someone else and live happily with them? The only one that I love is you Tetsu, I don't want anyone else." Aomine gritted out as he struggled to hold back the tears from coming out. Kuroko was getting paler and his eyes had a lesser glint as if Kuroko had his life slowly fading away.

Kuroko did not voice out any answer, instead he just placed his free hand on top of Aomine's hand and smiled. The action caused Aomine to lose control and the tears started falling. It was apparent that Kuroko was serious as he started coughing loudly after that and the look in Kuroko's eyes were clear that he meant every word that he said earlier.

"Tetsu." Aomine called out softly as he clutched Kuroko's hand even tighter and he desperately tried to think of something to prevent Kuroko from dying. The answer was clear that there was nothing that he could do and that only caused him to tear up more when the only thing he could do was just stay there and watch as Kuroko started getting paler and colder.

Kuroko shook his head and coughed when he tried to open his mouth. "Daiki-kun, you know that it's true. I probably don't even have five minutes left. That's why you have to listen to me, this isn't your fault and my life wasn't ruined all because of you either. That's why don't blame yourself and because I love you, that's why I want you to live on. You can promise me that right?" The words were a lot softer than before that Aomine had to struggle to listen.

Aomine gritted his teeth, he knew Kuroko was right. The warmth from Kuroko's body was getting lower and lower, indicating that his life was seeping away with each second. As much as he did not want to agree with whatever Kuroko or accept a life without Kuroko, Aomine was well aware that he would be leaving Kuroko with regret if he did not do so. "I…can't promise you that I would be able to live on with someone else when the only person that I would be able to love would just be you alone. But I can promise you this one thing, I won't waste my life that you saved with your own. The time that I spent with you is probably the best and most important to me and I really enjoyed being with you. I love you too, Tetsu." Despite the tears that Aomine could not stop, he managed to bring out his usual smile naturally.

Kuroko's hand that Aomine was holding squeezed his own tightly and Kuroko returned Aomine's smile with one of his own. He coughed out once more as he whispered a soft apology about how he could not keep his eyes open anymore and that he is really tired now. Kuroko's eyes closed softly, a rosy glow on the cheeks as the last warmth of his life disappeared.

Aomine hugged Kuroko's still warm body to his own and clung to him as tightly as possible. "Oi Tetsu, wake up." He shouted despite knowing full well that Kuroko would not open his eyes ever again. Aomine remained still with Kuroko's body still in his arms in spite of how Kuroko's body started getting colder and colder.

"Damn it…" Aomine muttered to himself as he mentally chided himself. He was a horrible lover who caused the person he loved to fall out with his family and the number of times that he hurt him and shouted at him were more than what he would like and most importantly, he had caused him to lose his life to protect him.

"If only I could turn back time…then I would be able to prevent all these things from happening…" Aomine could not help but whisper that to himself when he knew full well that that was impossible. It was something that he could not stop when he was reminded of how powerless he was from preventing Kuroko to block the bullet for him. He blinked puzzedly when there seemed to be some kind of smoke surrounding Kuroko's body?

Mist started surrounding Aomine and Kuroko more and Aomine had turned his head upwards to see a shrouded person standing in front of him. He was unable to see what the person looked like clearly though, it simply appeared like a silhouette. "If I tell you that I am able to grant your wish for turning back time for you, what would you do?" The person questioned Aomine, the sound of the voice made it clear that that person is a male.

Aomine stared disbelievingly at the shrouded person. "What kind of joke is this?" He questioned, that was the first thing he could think of when seconds after he whispered to himself that he wanted to turn back time and a weird silhouette ended up showing up and asking him that. That could only possibly be a joke.

The shrouded person that Aomine still could not see his face seemed to ignore his question completely when the thing he said had nothing to do with what he asked. "What do you want to do and what you decide on is something that is up to you. The only thing that I can offer you is just this, if I'm able to make your wish come true, what will you do and what will your wish be?"

Aomine stared blankly at the silhouette, trying to comprehend what the person was trying to say completely. The mist surrounding him was still present which continued to serve as a cover to mask the person's appearance from him and Aomine was still baffled how the mist came to be too. Things seemed pretty unnatural, so he could believe in this person no matter how impossible seemed to be.

"What is your wish?" The silhouette repeated again and Aomine closed his eyes to think. Even if this was just a joke, there was nothing much that he would lose from it. The worst that could happen to him would simply be just that it was a lie and Kuroko remained dead, but there was a chance for it to be true. Aomine wanted it to be true when that meant that he would be able to bring Kuroko back to life.

When a wish came to mind, the only things that could come to his mind was just scenes of Kuroko smiling at him and how that would never happen again in this timeline because of him. Aomine gritted his teeth as he made up his mind on what to do and shoved the lingering thoughts deep inside his mind. This was the best decision that his brain could think of and Aomine was not going to let his own personal selfishness get in his way of it.

"To turn back time, back to the moment that I was able to confess to Tetsu. The one that was supposed to die was me, if we weren't together, Tetsu wouldn't have shielded me. It would be better this way, for the sake of being with me, Tetsu got disowned by his father. " Aomine paused, tracing his finger along Kuroko's cheek that was lacking the usual warmth that used to be there with a sorrowful expression on his face.

Aomine had nothing but remorse and regret when his decision was the one that probably caused this. "Tetsu would be happier without me. He could have a normal life, still have a place for him to call home with his families, have a wife and have children…and most importantly…be able to live a normal happy life that would be best suited for him. Tetsu doesn't deserve to lose his family all because of someone like me who don't really deserve him and even cause him his life… That's why this time I would make it possible for him to have a happy life even if it means sacrificing the future that I might have with him or my own life. Anything is fine if I can exchange it for Tetsu's happiness and for him to still be alive."

Aomine smiled, a serene expression on his face as he murmured his last request in this timeline. "My wish is to go back to the time that I asked to meet Tetsu and to prevent that confession from happening and to create a future where Tetsu would be happy. I have one more request… could you take me back to that time with these rings? It's the only things that I could have to remember of a time that I had lived with Tetsu and had a happy life, that would be enough to allow me to go on living a life without Tetsu."

The other party nodded his head in acknowledgement. "But is that really what you wish for? Didn't the person important to you told you that he did not regret deciding to spend his life with you or taking that bullet for you? Isn't that going against what he wants?" The other person questioned Aomine as he waited for an answer.

Aomine chuckled before giving an answer. "Tetsu and I don't go eye to eye except for basketball after all so my decision being something that he disagrees with is something normal. Despite what Tetsu said, I still want to create a future where he lives even if it means that I have to sacrifice the future that I have with him. As long as he's alive, that's good enough for me."

"If that's your wish, I can grant it for you. But there are consequences to your wish, the ones affected would not just be the both of you. The future of the ones around the both of you would change to due to you changing your future. The things that you experienced would be different and the past and present that you know of would not be the same . Even if that's the case, you're still going to go on with it?" The silhouette questioned despite knowing what Aomine's answer would be.

Aomine was well aware that his decision was a selfish one but even if he was told that his decision would cause a change to the others' future as well, he still wanted to create a future where Kuroko would live. Aomine nodded his head as a response and closed his eyes knowing that the next time he opens them, it would be of a different time.

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><p><em><strong>[[ AN: From this chapter onwards would be the different ending. This chapter is the 'SAD END', the remaining would be **_

_**'DEAD END' , 'BAD END' & 'GOOD END' each with their own alternate timeline.**_

_**I'm not really sure when the other three chapters would be done and updated too... ]]**_


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